Governments failed to deliver $160m of river improvements including for now-parched NSW wetlands, report finds
Summary
Two Australian state governments, New South Wales and Queensland, have failed to deliver over $160 million worth of promised projects to improve river health in the northern Murray-Darling basin. An independent review found most infrastructure work did not progress as planned, harming wetlands, turtles, fish, and other wildlife.Key Facts
- The northern basin toolkit program was created to improve river health without using extra water, with a federal budget of $166 million.
- New South Wales did not secure private land access needed to improve water flows in the Gwydir region.
- Only 64 km of fish passageways were built out of the original 2,135 km target, later reduced to 589 km.
- Queensland’s promised updates to weirs never moved past initial study stages.
- The federal inspector general’s report labeled NSW and Queensland’s efforts as “severe underdelivery.”
- The program was meant to compensate for a federal water cut from 390 billion to 320 billion liters per year for the environment.
- Environmental impacts include dried wetlands, and deaths of turtles, waterbirds, frogs, and sheep.
- NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson acknowledged the challenges and said the government remains committed to improving environmental outcomes.
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